Introduction: Divided and Connected: Perspectives on German History Since the 1970S

E introduction Divided and Connected Perspectives on German History since the 1970s Frank Bösch ver the last decade, the fi eld of contemporary German history has Ochanged considerably. It has been enriched by a broader thematic and methodological scope, as well as transnational perspectives that have propelled scholarship in new directions. Yet despite these shifts, historians still tend to approach the history of East and West Germany separately. Rather than peering over the Wall, scholars have contextual- ized developments in the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) primarily with an eye toward Western industrialized nations or to the global South. For many historians of West Germany, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) was seen as a truly separate country whose history was the pur- view of research institutes in East Germany or Berlin. Even in the mul- tifaceted theoretical debates surrounding a transnational, “shared,” or “entangled” history, the idea of a German-German history was conspicu- ously absent.1 Perhaps because the focus of these endeavors was to trace the “trans-state” history of a later reunited nation, a national narrative seemed to be out of place. Similarly, general overviews of contemporary German history have continued to approach the FRG or the GDR separately, even when they extend beyond reunifi cation.2 German-German perspectives have mostly been reserved for the bilateral relations and encounters between the two German states, ranging from Willy Brandt’s Ostpolitik to Biermann’s expatriation and Kohl’s plans for reunifi cation.3 By consciously adopting a German-German perspective, this book suggests a diff erent approach to the history of contemporary Germany. Departing from the already well-researched diplomatic level, it off ers a comparative look at changing social structures in East and West Ger- "A History Shared and Divided: East and West Germany since the 1970s" by Frank Bösch. http://berghahnbooks.com/title/BoeschHistory 2 FRANK BÖSCH many, such as work, the economy, welfare, education, lifestyle, and pol- itics, as well as the environment, sports, and media. It not only takes into account the separate histories or diff erences between the states, but also openly seeks to detect similarities and interactions between East and West. Embracing the double-edged meaning of a geteilte Geschichte, this book explores the “shared history” of Germany as well as its “divided” past, purposefully leaving open the question as to whether we can speak of an “entangled history.” At its core, this book analyzes how East and West Germany have changed since the 1970s. Up to now, the often rapid transformations that occurred in the last third of the twentieth century have been dealt with separately, either from the perspective of the specifi c problems associated with socialism or that of the structural shifts within Western industrialized societies brought about by globalization “after the boom.”4 With a comparative look on both sides of the Wall, this collection questions whether there was a prevalence of commonalities or whether system- based diff erences dominated the trajectories of each state.5 Quite often, the signifi cant changes that took place during these decades extended well beyond German borders, as with the economic crises of the 1970s, the general political paradigm shift, environmental and energy problems, consumption, sports, or the new role of electronic media and computers. Moreover, in terms of the GDR in particular, this book takes a critical look at whether the downfall of socialism can be explained through the prism of the challenges associated with the West. Flipping this perspective around, it also questions to what extent the FRG was infl uenced by the system rivalry with the GDR. Additionally, the scope of this book consciously stretches beyond 1990 into the post-reunifi cation era. On the one hand, it examines the extent to which East Germany adapted to the West while noting which diff erences remained in place. On the other hand, it discusses the changes in the West brought about through reunifi cation. It also explores the idea that East Germany functioned as a laboratory for future developments in Germany as a whole, which has been put forth as a theory within the context of the “neoliberal reforms” in Eastern Europe.6 Even in terms of the 1990s, a long-term perspective reveals that there was still very much a geteilte Geschichte, marked by the countless diff erences that persisted despite reunifi cation and rapprochement between East and West. In order to trace these parallel, interwoven, or separate developments, this book often adopts a comparative perspective, but it by no means in- tends to erase the diff erences between a market-oriented democracy and "A History Shared and Divided: East and West Germany since the 1970s" by Frank Bösch. http://berghahnbooks.com/title/BoeschHistory INTRODUCTION 3 a socialist dictatorship with a planned economy.7 It cannot be forgotten that these diff erent forms of state pervaded all aspects of life. After all, systems of rule and power do not simply disappear when looking at social changes; to the contrary, it becomes all the more clear just how deeply such mechanisms were embedded within society. A famous press photo of Renate Stecher (GDR) and Heide Rosendahl (FRG) crossing the relay fi nish line at the Munich Olympic Games in 1972 illustrates this idea of a geteilte Geschichte in many ways.8 It represents the competition between the two systems as well as the social diff erences between East and West. Not only do the separate national emblems on the uniforms symbolize the race between the two countries, but also they allude to the diff erent sport training systems and the doping accusations directed at the top GDR athletes.9 Likewise, the photograph also visual- izes overarching international and German-German developments, such as the major role of sports on the international stage in the struggle for prestige and recognition, which was undoubtedly a strong motive behind the FRG’s concerted eff orts to become the host country for the Olympic Games in 1972 and the World Soccer Championships in 1974.10 Sports in the GDR also functioned as a means of communication across the Wall, for example in the guise of (supervised) teams traveling abroad or media reporting on events. The victory of the FRG’s relay team in a neck-and- neck race with the GDR similarly underscores West Germany’s inten- sive support of sports during this time as it sought to keep up with the world’s leading athletic nations. Doping had also become widespread in the FRG after 1970, which made the Olympic Games in Munich a turning point for both German teams.11 Additionally, as Stecher and Rosendahl crossed the fi nish line, they were both wearing shoes manufactured by Adidas, a West German company that dominated the global market in the 1970s; their similar hairstyles also refl ected lifestyle trends that crossed the border between East and West. Behind the scenes at the time, their careers were also quite telling as both women attended sports colleges and pursued careers in sports after graduation. Indirectly, moreover, this snapshot fi nish underscores the great amount of public accolade enjoyed by high-performing female athletes on both sides of the Wall. When the photo later reappeared within the context of reunifi cation, however, it spoke to the problems associated with bringing two national sports systems together, such as in the debates over the dismantling of East Ger- man training centers, doping, and broken careers. Ultimately, the East German Renate Stecher lost her job after reunifi cation while the West German Heide Rosendahl enjoyed a successful career in sports education until her retirement. "A History Shared and Divided: East and West Germany since the 1970s" by Frank Bösch. http://berghahnbooks.com/title/BoeschHistory 4 FRANK BÖSCH Scholarship on Contemporary History and the Two German States Shortly after reunifi cation, a few scholars began calling for an integrated German-German history. Christoph Kleßmann in particular pleaded for an “asymmetrically intertwined parallel history” (asymmetrisch verfl och- tene Parallelgeschichte) that explored the tensions between division and entanglement, taking into account that the FRG was a stronger point of reference for the GDR than the GDR was for the FRG. As Kleßmann put it, “The Federal Republic could have easily existed without the GDR.”12 He also suggested that it was worth considering whether the development of the Federal Republic was also shaped by the existence of the GDR, especially given the major infl uence of anti-communism on many aspects of society.13 Even West German consumption, sports, or gender roles took on a diff erent political signifi cance in a divided Germany. Kleßmann also proposed six phases and points of reference for such a discussion, including “the beginning of the block building,” “the internal dynamics of both states,” and “the cross-system problems faced by advanced industrial societies” since the 1970s.14 Similarly, Konrad Jarausch has advocated a “plural sequential perspective.”15 Both Jarausch and Kleßmann cite the 1970s as a turning point. Others, including Thomas Lindenberger, have proposed that border regions should be approached as spaces created by political rule that foster a particular way of dealing with “others,” bear- ing in mind that the process of demarcating boundaries also generates links.16 These approaches ensured much debate among German historians for a long time. In recent years, however, proponents of diff erent schools of thought and methodologies have come to embrace the possibilities and the necessity of a cross-border perspective.17 For the most part, these arguments diff er from one another primarily in terms of how far they believe a comparative, or even an entangled, perspective can go without erasing the diff erences between the systems.

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